Page 67 of Free to Breathe
“You talked about pasts?”
“I forced him to. I held up Cass’s and your relationship as such sterling examples,” I deadpan.
Ali punches me in the arm. “You’re such a snot, but well done. Future?”
I get serious quickly. “Can we see if I have one first?”
Ali winces. “Right. I’m going to go remind Phil of what questions he shouldn’t ask when he starts on his big-brother spiel tonight.”
I roll my eyes. “Phil likes Colby.”
“Baby, haven’t you realized no man is good enough for us once we become emotionally involved? It’s why he still gives Keene shit.” Ali pauses. “That, and Keene makes it easy.”
Remembering what Ali said the other day, I pale. “Tell me Phil doesn’t plan on…”
“I have no idea what goes through big brother’s head, Cori. I go with the flow, just like you should.” She runs her hand over the crown of my head. “I love him for you. I always did.” Her eyes don’t stray to Colby. “I was so pissed to know my thoughts of hooking the two of you up were going awry when you told me what you did last summer.”
“It worked out the way it was supposed to,” I say diplomatically.
“It worked out when it was supposed to,” she corrects me, hooking her arm in mine. Guiding me back over to Colby, she asks him, “Are you ready for the spotlight?”
Colby slides an arm over my shoulders. “I’m just grateful I keep a go bag in the trunk of my Jeep. Otherwise, I’d be borrowing clothes since I wasn’t leaving her all day. Now wouldn’t that have gone over well?
Ali shoots us both her dazzling smile. “True, because I really couldn’t have controlled Keene’s sterling commentary then.” The three of us make our way inside, still laughing.
As always, riotous chaos is the best way to describe our family dinners. I immediately start dancing as one of my favorite songs is playing. “Someone start this from the beginning!” I call out. Phil is dancing with Cassidy’s daughter, Laura, and Holly is holding Cassidy’s little Jonathan. Cassidy is wrapped up in Caleb’s arms. Jason, who is dancing with Em, reaches into his pocket for the remote.
I grab Colby’s hand and drag him into the center of the floor as Delta Rae’s “A Long and Happy Life” starts again. As he swings me out and back, I start singing along with the lyrics that echo the music bursting in my heart. I deserve this life, this love, this family. And I’m going to fight to keep them.
Whatever it takes.
* * *
I’m feeling deliciously stuffedand wonderfully pampered. Grilled shrimp and steak with bell pepper and radish salad. Perfect with the blackberry-lime margarita I’ve been nursing for most of the night. There’s a huge bowl of fresh fruit and a pan of Holly’s banana pudding in the center of the table.
And I didn’t have to cook a thing.
“Dare I ask what prompted this family dinner?” I drawl from the shelter of Colby’s arm. He squeezes my shoulder.
“Going on the offense? Brave soul.” Cassidy grins. She just settled her twins in their Pack-N-Play to calm down.
“It’s better than waiting for his lordship to strike first. Remember how I handled that issue about blow jobs?” I wink at my oldest sister, who merely shakes her head in reply.
“What’s this?” Colby shifts in his chair, angling toward me.
“Oh, Phil has a ritual when it comes to teaching the women of this family about how to give blow jobs. I just refused to participate. I went straight for on-the-job training.” Ignoring Colby’s growl, I decide to harass others instead. “You think he’ll have fine-tuned his techniques in about twenty years?”
There’s a pause in the conversation before my sisters catch on, realizing I’m talking about the next generation of women in our family. All the women start laughing while Keene starts sputtering. He just glares at me and says, “No. Fuck no. I’ll send Kalie to a convent first.”
That sets us off even harder.
“Lighten up, Keene,” Phil drawls from where he’s holding a sleeping Kalie across his lap. “That baton has been passed from me to your wife. It’s her job to educate your daughter on how to break all the boys’ hearts. I can tell you this though. You’ve got trouble here. She’s got a bit of both her mother and her aunt in her.”
Keene shoves his plate forward and begins banging his dark head on the table hard enough to make the rest of the dishes jump. “I’m so completely screwed,” he declares.
All of us are laughing, but none so hard as Ali and Cassidy, who are wiping tears from their eyes.
Keene’s eyes shoot daggers at me. “You. This is your fault.”
